What Makes A Dragon Tick
by MaeganMarie
Summary: The follow-up to 'It Finds You Unexpectedly'. This story goes further into the plot, with new characters and old. Draco has been with the Death Eaters for some time and Hermione has been festering with the split for years now. But what will happen when a chance mission brings them, and others, back together?
1. Coming Back

**Author's Note: Hello all! This is the sequel to It Finds You Unexpectedly. I wrote that in High School and it definitely needs some work, but please take a quick read if you'd like. I started this in my first year of college and have decided to start it up again. Hopefully you enjoy.  
**None of the characters are mine. The following story IS based off the plot of a book (not HP) but I have given it my own twist**  
**

* * *

"There is one fact that we must drive into your wretched skull that you must never forget afterward. Can you guess what that fact is?" said Voldemort.

"No, my Lord." Draco said.  
"No?" Voldemort's vanishing eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. Mesmerized, Draco watched them disappear under the folding skin of his forehead. There, almost coyly, they remained just out of sight for a moment, before suddenly descending with a terrible finality and weight. "No. Well then…" The Dark Lord bent forward in his chair. "I shall tell you."

With a slow, deliberate motion, he placed his hands together so that his slender fingertips formed a steepled arch, which he then pointed at Draco.  
"Remember this," he said in a sinister voice. "This wand is very powerful. It has a mind of it's own. It will kill you if you do not use it with concentration. Do you understand this?"

Draco was still watching the eyebrows. He could not wrench his gaze away from them. Now they were furrowed sternly downward, two sharp, thin arrowheads meeting. With their parody of independent life they exerted a strange fascination on Draco.

Voldemort coughed dangerously.

"Do you understand?"  
"Oh – yes, sir."  
"Malfoy, I've noticed that you have become more and more distant. Losing your focus. You say yes, but I do not feel convinced that you really, truly understand."  
"Yes, my Lord. I do, sir. This wand will kill me if I let it get the chance.  
Voldemort nodded.

"Stand up."

Draco stood slowly. Standing tall with his hands at his sides. It had been almost six years since he had sacrificed himself to the Dark Lord. He hadn't changed much, except maybe he grew a few inches taller. Stubble graced his face and his hair had the same Malfoy look that defined him. He was at the top of his game. Draco had become Voldemort's most trusted and successful Death Eaters. But lately his desire to focus was diminishing. This was the second time Voldemort had mentioned it to him. Beyond his lectures about focus, Voldemort had finally brought up the wand that Draco stole those six years ago.

Voldemort indicated a door behind him with a casual finger. "You know what's through there?"  
"The prison chambers, Master."  
"Good. If you walk down far enough to the end of the corridor, you'll find a desk. On the desk is a box. In the box is the wand. Go get it and come back to me. Got that?"  
"Yes, my Lord."

Draco bowed and crossed to the door, which was made of a dark, unpainted wood, with a questionable green slime in some of the cracks. Draco opened the door and stepped through to find himself on the familiar staircase. Torches hung loosely on the walls. He descended carefully, one step at a time. He reached the corridor to find all of the cells disturbingly empty.

'Strange.' He thought. 'I had Goyle throw some prisoners in here less than two hours ago.'  
Draco's footsteps echoed as he cautiously made his way to a great wooden desk with a plain wooden chair set behind it.

Draco made for the table.  
Halfway there, he stopped and looked behind him.

Nothing. But he wasn't stupid. Something was wrong. He had the strangest feeling. He shook his head and took the four hasty steps that took him to the edge of the desk. The box sat in the middle of the desk. Somehow he felt having the wand down here was not strictly necessary. He shook his head again and quickly reached out for the box. Instead of making contact with the box, his hand knocked over a small cup filled with quills. The quills sprayed across the table.

He let out a sigh of frustration and began to collect up the quills and stuff them back into the cup. There was suddenly a throaty chuckle from behind him.

He wheeled round, his eyes wide in confusion. But there was nothing there.

For a moment Draco remained with his back facing the desk, looking at every inch of the room. 'Forget the quills.' He said to himself. 'The wand is what you came for.' Slowly he turned around.

At that moment one of the quills he spilled slid off the desk onto the carpet. It made no sound, but he caught sight of it out of the corner of his eye. Another quill began to move towards the edge – first slowly, then faster and faster. Suddenly it flew off the desk and hit the wall behind him. Another did the same. Then another. Suddenly, all the quills were sliding, in several directions at once, accelerating off the edges of the desk, colliding, flying, landing, lying still. Draco had to dodge more than one as they flew. He watched. The last one fell. A sudden breeze made him lash his fist around behind him.

Nothing.

He frowned and grabbed the box. A moment later, he had the wand in his hand and he was walking to the door.

Something came behind him. He heard it closing in on his back.

He refused to look back and kept making his way towards the door. Just as he made it up the stairs, the door slammed shut. He wrenched at the doorknob and his face fell.

"Alohomora." He said pointing the wand at the keyhole. It didn't open.

"Okay…" Draco said as he ran a hand through his hair.

Draco turned and faced the room. He could feel the wand lurching in his hand. He looked down and gripped it tighter.

Suddenly, small rustlings sounded all about him, delicate taps and little flitterings, as if everything in the room was being brushed against by invisible moving things.

Anger welled in Draco as he pointed the wand at the room.

"Impedimenta!" he shouted.

The rustling, tapping, and flittering stopped dead.

The room was very still.

As Draco tried to figure out how to open the door, a small light appeared in the middle of the room. He looked up, shocked, as Lucius formed in front of him. Draco watched as Lucius slowly pointed his wand at him. Hesitantly, Draco raised the jerking wand in his own hand toward his father. Lucius smirked.

"You have no focus, Draco."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"The wand shows that your mind is elsewhere. And I know where it is."

With trembling fingers, Draco tightened his grip once again on the wand, turning his knuckles white, as he pointed at his father's chest.  
"Why are you here?"  
"Not happy to see me? Oh…that's right. I'm guessing you were assuming I was going to be that Mudblood Granger."  
"...Hermione." Draco whispered. He had been thinking about her more than anything these days.

"Yes. You want her back?"  
Draco stiffened. "How do you…?"  
"Death has allowed me to see many things. I'm ashamed to call you my son."

As Lucius continued talking, that Malfoy rage was surging through Draco. Even in death his father was still cold-blooded. He suddenly felt the wand jerk still, and the power it held traveled into his body.  
"Ridikulus!"

Lucius suddenly turned into Ron Weasley falling off a broom.  
"Stupefy!"

The shot sent the boggart flying to the back wall.  
The room was silent once again. Behind him, the door opened with Voldemort standing in the doorway. An evil smile grew on his face as Draco stared back at him.  
"Excellent."

* * *

"What was that all about?" Draco asked with fury. The last person he wanted to see was his father.

Voldemort laughed quietly as Draco's anger grew.  
"That was the wand…I told you it would kill you if you let it. It takes up the form of someone you once loved and looked up too."  
Looking at the wand with disgust, he shoved it in his pocket.

He walked up the stairs and followed Voldemort out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"I only want you to use that wand when you're angry. Do you understand?"  
"You mean like now?" Draco said through clenched teeth.  
"Do you understand?!"

Draco immediately got on one of his knees and bowed his head. He had challenged Voldemort enough to know that if he kept back talking he would be crucioed on the spot.  
"Yes, my Lord. I understand."  
"Good. I see that you're starting to learn to shut that Malfoy mouth of yours. Something your father never accomplished."  
"Right, sir."  
"Now – stand up you idiot. I want you to take a few Death Eaters and search Grimmauld Place. Knowing that babbling moron Crabbe it's probably empty by now, but go anyway. Just in case."

With a slight bow Draco quickly ducked out of the room.

* * *

Along with three other Death Eaters, Draco stood outside of Grimmauld Place. It was no longer hidden, but out in the open. No lights were on inside but Draco's trained eyes could see the faint white concealing spell around the house.

"Search the perimeter. Look for any signs of people being here within the last forty-eight hours. If you find something, send your patronus into the house."

"What about you?" Goyle asked. "Won't you need help?"  
Draco snickered.  
"Since when have I ever needed help?"

Goyle shrugged and turned to follow the others. Draco looked up to the house, and then at the front door. He walked up the stoop and placed his hand on the doorknob. The hinges squeaked slightly as he pushed the door open. With his wand edging its way in first, he quietly made his way into the slightly lit hallway. He heard pages flipping in a nearby room and his attention was immediately drawn in that direction. He didn't get far, though, when the curtains were drawn and the loud-mouthed Mrs. Black started shouting.  
"QUIT TIP-TOEING YOUR LAST SEASON SHOES AROUND IN MY HALLWAY OR SO HELP ME, I SWEAR I'LL RIP YOUR LUNGS OUT!"

Draco looked shocked and didn't have time to hide when a skinny girl with brown hair came running into the hallway.  
"Shut up, you lousy old woman! Shut up!"

The curtains closed and silence enveloped the hallway as Draco stared at the girl, lowering his wand.  
She was about to turn and go back into the other room when she caught sight of the tall dark figure standing in the middle of the hallway. She froze. She casually gazed into the room and looked to the floor, where her wand rested under a table.

"G-go away!" she yelled.  
Draco edged his way closer to her. She backed up quickly and looked at him sternly.  
"Stop! Just leave! Harry isn't here!"

He stopped moving and just stood there, staring at her. A bewildered look crossed her face. She slowly made her way into the other room and quickly grabbed her wand. She came out and pointed in Draco's direction. In a panic, Draco put his hands up.

"Hermione, don't!"  
Baffled she looked at him hard.  
"How do you know my name? Just get-"

She stopped as the dark figure lowered its hood, revealing blonde white hair and those piercing dark blue eyes.  
"Draco?"  
"...Hi Hermione."  
She was about to stupefy him anyway, when a small voice sounded from behind her.

"Mommy? What's going on?"

A tiny girl came out into view. She had light blonde hair with brown eyes and was a little bit taller than Hermione's knees. Hermione looked back and forth between her daughter and Draco. She kneeled down and held her by the arms.  
"Nothing, baby, nothing."  
"Who's that man?"  
"Uh, he's just an old friend of mommy's. From school."

The little girl looked up over at Draco.

"Why are you wearing that black dress?"  
"Erm..they're my pajamas. Like yours." He said nodding to her blue nightgown.

She giggled. "Boys don't wear dressies."  
"Lila, go to bed sweetie. I'll come tuck you in soon."

The little girl nodded and teetered off down the hallway, looking at Draco the entire time.  
Hermione turned to see Draco falling to the floor on his knees, his head in his hands. Through choked back tears he tried to form some words.

"H-how old?"

Hermione leaned on the wall and folded her arms, looking down at Draco's sobbing form.

"Six." She said flatly.

More tears flooded Draco's face.  
"I-I'm sorry, H-Hermione."  
"What I want to know is why you would leave a month before she was born."  
"Hermione…"  
"Why?! How could you do that to me?! To her?!"  
"I didn't want you hurt! You know that there was no way I could be there for you and the baby with Voldemort on my back!"  
"I'm a big girl, Draco. I could've handled it if he came knocking on my door to kill m -"  
"I WOULD RATHER HAVE DIED BEFORE I EVER LET THAT HAPPEN!"

Hermione watched as Draco sat sobbing on the floor. After all the years she had known him, he had never shown his vulnerable side. She was actually softening up to him, just like she did at Hogwarts.  
"D-do you know h-how hard it was for me to w-walk away? Do you even understand what I went through?"  
"What about what I went through, Draco?"  
"Hermione…I spent years regretting that day and I still do. I've had countless nightmares of you crying and all because of me. A-and then you were gone. I searched for months, possibly years to find out where you had gone. And everyday it killed a little part of me even more to know that my…my child was growing up without me."

Hermione sighed and walked over to Draco and kneeled down to his level. She pulled his face up and wiped some of his tears away. She smiled slightly before taking him by the hand and helping him stand.

"Come on."

He let himself be pulled down the hall, and to Lila's door. Hermione opened it and walked inside. Draco lingered behind, hesitant to enter. Hermione smiled and pulled him in. "It's alright." She whispered.

The room was tiny, and a little shabby. There wasn't much in the room save a few scattered toys and books. He was led to the tiny bed. His breathing became heavy as he kneeled next to Hermione, who was pulling the blankets up to the girls' sleeping figure. Hermione watched as Draco reached up and brushed some of Lila's hair away from her face. Lila stirred, and Draco pulled back quickly. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Lila, sweetie," Hermione began. "This is Draco. He came here just to see you."

Lila looked from her mom to Draco. She sat up and turned to pull out a thick piece of paper from under her pillow. She handed it to Draco.

Looking at it, more tears came to his eyes. It was a picture of Hermione and Draco in the Head Common Room, sitting on the couch. Draco had his arm around Hermione and she was snuggled into his arms. On the other side of Draco was a drawn in little girl. A crayon arrow was pointing down with the word LILA written above it.  
"Mommy said that that man is my daddy." Lila said. "You look like that man…so are you my daddy?"

Draco hesitated and looked to Hermione, who nodded her head. He turned back to Lila and handed her the picture.

"Yeah. I'm y-your father."  
Lila smiled and jumped onto Draco, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.  
"I knew you'd come back!"

Draco smiled as he held Lila. This was more then he ever asked for. But the moment was broken when a silvery white patronus of a vulture entered the room.

"Draco?"  
Draco laid Lila back in her bed and stood up. Hermione walked with him to the door.  
"Stay here." He said. "I'll be right back."

She nodded and walked back over to her daughter's bed and began tucking her in. Draco walked outside with the vulture flying behind him. When he reached the others, he swiped an annoyed hand through the patronus. It disappeared in a tiny fog.

"What'd you find?" he asked sternly.  
"Footprints. Male. 10½."  
"Anything else?"  
"No. Was there anything in the house?"  
"Nothing."  
"Okay." Goyle said. "Lets burn this thing and get gone."

Before Draco could stop them, they each sent an 'incendio' at the house and apparated away. Leaving Draco to watching in horror.


	2. Inferno

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading. Reviews are appreciated 3  
**

* * *

Draco broke through the door and ran down the hallway. He tugged at the handle of Lila's bedroom door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Hermione!" he cried, banging on the door.  
"Draco! It won't open!"

He backed up and looked at the door. He tapped the edges of it until he found a weak spot.

"Move!" he yelled to her.

He backed up against the wall and slammed into the door with his shoulder, breaking it off its hinges.  
Hermione ran to Draco with Lila in her arms. He grabbed her and held them close. It was then that he noticed a movement far off in the smoke. A shape, hunched in a corner behind a barrier of licking flames. The shape rose and unbent itself.

"Draco, what is - "

"Go!" he yelled.

He took Lila from Hermione and pushed her off down the hallway and towards the stairs. Hermione looked confused and went to the door.

"No!" Draco yelled. He grabbed Hermione round the middle and pulled her away as the door suddenly burst into flames. Hermione shrieked and shielded her eyes.

"Don't touch the doors." Draco said.

He placed her on the first step. Lila immediately ran over to Draco and tugged on his robe. Draco looked down at Lila. Fear engrossed her eyes as she edged her way around to the other side of him. She was pointing at something. He followed her finger to the rising flames. Out through a wall of fire strode Solomon. The Death Eaters used him to destroy human life when they didn't have the time. He didn't go away until everything in the area was gone. His skin gleamed as if it had been oiled.

"Up!" Draco said as he grabbed Lila and pushed Hermione up the stairs.

"Where am I going?" Hermione asked frantically.

"Roof!" Draco tried to talk loud over the roaring flames.

"The roof? But Draco - "

"Just go, Hermione!"

Hermione stopped resisting and ran up the stairs with Draco behind her. Directly below, the steps cracked and splintered under Solomon's feet.

"Take her." Draco said once they had made it to the attic. He handed Lila, who was shaking with fear, to Hermione. Draco walked to a skylight in the ceiling and punched it open. Cold air rushed in. He climbed through the opening, turned, and extended a hand back down into the room.

"Come on," he said. "Out."

Hermione was in reaching distance when Solomon appeared at the top of the stairs. Sparks of flame radiated off his body and ignited the fabric of the house around him.

"Quick!" Draco yelled. "Pass up Lila!"

Hermione raised the cowering girl and passed her off into Draco's waiting hands, which pulled her up and out onto the roof. He placed her to the side and quickly reached back through for Hermione.

"Come on! You next!"

"Draco! I – I can't! I'm stuck!"

Solomon caught sight of her, raised a hand and stepped forward.

And banged his head nicely on the low-slung attic door. This gave Draco the instant he needed. He swung down from the skylight and landed next to Hermione.

"What's stuck?" he yelled urgently.

"My leg!"

Draco looked down to her leg and pulled. "Ow!"

"Keep still."

He was finally able to pull her leg free. He lifted her and pushed her out through the skylight. After her, he climbed out himself. As he fell back against the tiles, a gout of flame erupted from the skylight. The whole building shook.

Immediately, Draco was up. He grabbed Lila and Hermione and set off down towards the chimney. He set them down behind it and peered back the way they had come. The heat from below was doing its work; tiles were popping out of position, small flames dancing through the cracks between them. Somewhere, timber cracked and shifted.

At the skylight, a large figure burst through. Solomon glared back and forth. Draco ducked behind the chimney and tried to look ahead. But it wasn't long before Solomon found their hiding place and vaporized the chimney.

Biting his lip, Draco turned to Hermione.

"Get to the edge of the roof and stay there. Got it?"

She nodded and moved off with Lila to the edge. Draco took out his wand.

"Expecto Patronum!"

The silvery dragon curled out lazily and then shot out towards Solomon. He was hypnotized as the dragon swirled around his head. When he reached out to touch it, it floated just out of his grasp. Getting frustrated, Solomon shot at it. The dragon dodged every single one. Draco watched in anticipation as all the little sheets of flame licked up around Solomon's feet, cracking the tiles and feeding on the timbers that fixed the roof in place. The dragon spiraled around him as fast as Draco could move it, keeping him near that same spot. Every time he shot, the force of it weakened the section of roof on which he stood; every time this happened the roof trembled a little more violently.

A shot suddenly misfired, hitting Draco in the chest. Draco yelled and tumbled to the tiles, causing the dragon to disappear. Solomon stepped forward, just near Draco. Draco raised his wand and fired a stunning spell. It was weak and low, far too low to trouble Solomon. It struck the tiles directly in front of his feet. He didn't so much as flinch. Instead, he let out a triumphant laugh, which was cut short by the whole section of the roof collapsing. The master beam that spanned the length of the building split in two; the joists fell away, and timber and plaster and tile upon tile dropped into the inferno of the house, taking Solomon with them.

Draco slowly got up and made his way over to Lila and Hermione. He pointed to a tree that was nearby. Hermione nodded and handed Lila to Draco. She jumped onto the branch and climbed her way down. Holding her tight, Draco carried Lila onto and down the tree to the ground. He held her close as they all made their way onto the dark and small roads into the night.


	3. Not Wanted

**Author's Note: This is kind of a short chapter and it gets a little emosh, but hopefully it will help set the scene for their relationship later on. Action filled scene next chapter! Thank you to those that have read and reviewed, I appreciate it! : )  
**

They walked down the dirt covered road, shaking with the aftermath of what had just happened. There were no words exchanged, just the sound of shuffled footsteps and gravel. They walked until they reached a small broken-down building. They walked inside and Hermione scrunched her nose.

"Is this…your place?"

Draco scoffed, laying Lila down on a small couch that matched the rest of the house.

"Do you really think I'd reduce myself to accommodations like this?"

"Well, I just thought…the way you made it sound – I just assumed…"

"You just assumed I threw my life away because I couldn't find my dear Hermione?"

"Well…yes."

Draco shook his head and sat down on a fragile looking chair.

"What do you really think I did all these years?"

Hermione looked at him questioningly.

"I figured you continued your service with the Dark Lord. Which I can tell you obviously have. I can also assume that you've slept around…with probably over half of England's whores, all the while killing hundreds of innocent people and going home guiltless as you leave everything you touch to burn to the ground!" Hermione was screaming now, fuming with built up anger. Draco just sat there, staring at her in disbelief and astonishment.

"Why did you come back tonight?" she asked.

"What?" he chuckled.

"Why did you deliberately come find me? Why did you come to disturb my life?!"

Draco just shook his head in shock.

"You think I found you on purpose? I had no intention of finding my ex-girlfriend and my six year old daughter tonight! I was sent to look through the house for any signs of Potter, not you! And how dare you assume that I slept with half of England. All these years there had only been one other girl in my life. One!"

At this Hermione's face turned red. She turned to him and folded her arms across her chest.

"Who?"

"Are you serious?!"

"Tell me who, Draco!"

"Hailey Wood!" he practically screamed her name, but as soon as he did, he immediately regretted it.

Hermione had gone pale, the anger in her eyes washed away and replaced by dumbfoundedness. She tried to speak, but found that she couldn't. Draco watched her face, looking for any signs that he was about to be attacked. He continued to watch her as his thoughts subconsciously drifted to Hailey Wood. She was the infamous daughter of the recently deceased Oliver Wood. She had almost a black colored hair, but it could pass on as brown. She had eyes that Draco had never seen before and that was what drew him to her. They met each other on a mission. Voldemort had sent Draco to go out looking for Harry…again. He was with seven other Death Eaters when he noticed an unfamiliar set of eyes. Entrancing, beautiful eyes. He sent the others off and took her by the arm.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"No one you should be handling." The voice replied trying to jerk her arm away. It was female, so at least he had that to go on. He just sort of stared at the girl for a minute before reaching up and removing the hood. What he saw left him breathless. It had to be one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen since Hermione. He was hypnotized at this new person that he didn't realize that he was still gripping her arm.

"Do you mind?" she asked. "You're hurting my arm."

He looked at her and then down to her arm.

"Oh…sorry. Who are you? And I expect an answer this time."

"And why should I tell you that?"

"Because if you haven't noticed, I haven't killed you. But you may not be so lucky when the others come back." He looked her up and down. "What a waste." He sighed.

She rolled her eyes and took off the Death Eater cloak.

"Hailey Wood." She replied. She looked a little fearful but hid it pretty well. She looked at Draco and didn't falter when she heard the others coming back. He looked to her and then in the direction of the voices. He picked her up and ran in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Stop it! Put me down!" She tried to wriggle out of his grasp but his hold was tight and viselike.

"Try and be quiet. I don't want them to hear you."

Hailey looked confused and then rolled her eyes.

"Don't think you're getting a shag for this."

"I wouldn't think anything else, love." He retorted, putting her down and looking through some branches of the bush he hid them behind.

His thoughts vanished when Lila jumped on his lap. He jumped a bit, startled at the sudden weight, but held her to him anyways.

"Are you going to marry mommy now, daddy?"

Draco looked shocked and shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid not."

"But why?"

"Because even though your mother has yet to tell me, she is already married."

Hermione's eyes grew wide and she covered her ring finger.

"Probably to that nice Harry Potter she brings around the house so much."

Lila looked disappointed and Hermione's face grew red.

"Will I see you again?"

"Of course you will. I'll visit all the time."

Content with his answer, Lila hopped down and explored the rest of the shack.

"How did you know?"

"I'm not blind, Hermione."

"I'm sorry."

"You should be. Getting angry at me for having one relationship while you go out and get married and knocked up with Potter?"

"I'm not pregnant."

Draco raised an eyebrow and looked at her stomach.

"If I could tell you were pregnant with her, I think I can tell now."

Hermione blushed and pulled back her hair.

"Even if I wanted too, I can't be with you. I didn't expect this. I – I don't want you, Draco. I can't want you."

"I understand. But you can't keep me out of her life now that I've found her."

Hermione shook her head. "I know."

There was a silence and then Hermione spoke up.

"Why Hailey?"

"Hermione…"

"No, I want to know. She's just as powerful as me and I want to know!"

"It just happened! But I screwed up with her too, so you can be happy about that."

"She doesn't deserve you anyway. She's too obnoxious with herself because she's Oliv -"

"Just shut up, Hermione! For your information she didn't bring up her father once when I was with her! I found out who she was when the news came out that he died! And just because you two had a spat at Hogwarts, doesn't mean you can talk badly about her!"

"Why are you standing up for her?! She obviously doesn't care about you!"

"Like you?! Look me in the eyes and tell me you still love me! And answer this. How long did you wait after you read my letter to jump into Potter's bed?!"

Hermione was speechless. In the past, Draco had never been so angry at her. (Besides the five years of taunting). It was true that Hermione still loved Draco, but he wasn't wrong about her not waiting long to be with Harry. She felt ashamed. She looked at him with such longing that she felt it pull at her heart.

"Draco, I'm sorry. But I do still love you. I mean that. With all my heart. What do you want me to do? Get a divorce from Harry? I'll do it. I'll do anything."

She was on her knees, pleading with her eyes. Draco shook his head and pushed her away.

"It won't ever be the same, Granger. Especially in your…current state."

"But Draco, I don't want to let you go again."

"You think I'm not used to people just letting me go? That's how it's been my entire life." He said looking down at her. She was crying a little bit now, shaking her head. He grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes.

"Take care of Lila. She's the one that needs you the most. I'll come to see her as often as I can. But if one day I come to see her and Potter is here, I have to take him with me. You know that?"

"But…why would you do that?" she asked.

"I do get paid for what I do, Granger. It's not a hobby."

"Lila depends on him, you can't just take him away!"

"Where is he now, Granger?! Because I can tell you right now that you haven't seen him in two days!" he looked over to Lila who was playing with something she found on the floor. He pointed at her. "Does she look like she needs him?"

"Get out of here! I hate you! I'm glad I'm not with you!"

"Which is why you offered to divorce Potter for me, right Granger?"

"Draco… - "

"You can't have both!" he yelled.

He walked over to Lila and drew her up into a hug.

"I'll see you in a few days, Lila."

"Okay, daddy." She hugged him tight and watched him walk out the door.

Hermione just stood there. Lila looked up at her mother confused.

"Why didn't you stop him, mom?"

"We don't need him, love."

Lila looked at the door again, with sad eyes.

"I do." she whispered.

Draco slammed the door and walked a bit before the sharp pain in his arm made him bite his lip. He took out his wand and was soon bowing before Voldemort.

"Draco," the Dark Lords hoarse voice sounded out. "How come you didn't come back with the others? I missed you." he said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, My Lord. There were some things I had to attend too."

"Don't let it happen again."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, I have a new assignment for you. Have you heard if an Oliver Wood?"

Draco looked up, shocked that he was being pulled back into this conversation.

"Uh, yes master."

"As you are aware, he is dead. Wood had a ring. I need that ring to complete my plans to finally defeat Potter."

"The Ring of Oliver Wood, sir?"

"Yes, together the ring and the wand provide a powerful magic that destroys anything it touches. After he died, someone stole it from his house. I want you to go and get as much information as you can about it. Where it is and what else it can do. Bring it to me. Take as long as you need."

"Right, my Lord." He said bowing.

"I'll call if I need you."

Draco nodded his head. His thoughts about the name Wood consuming him as he turned to leave.

He had never been so nervous in his life. This was the first time in about a year and a half that he was going to step back into a world where the name Wood ruled. Draco was border-lining on the boundaries of Surrey and Cheshire. He found out about a small shop that sold magical items and non to witches and wizards. The shop was run by a Mrs. Shea Snape. He had been staked out all night, waiting for the store to open since there was no sign on the door. Deciding to spend the night, he made a small army cot appear and laid himself down with the thoughts of the nights events. He felt a small pang in his heart.

"She doesn't want me." He whispered to no one. He fell asleep with a tiny tear lingering on his cheek.


	4. Tricky Situation

**Author's Note: Chapter four is here! As always, thank you for being patient! : )**

Draco woke up late to the sound of car horns. He shot up and looked to the store. It was open, with people moving about inside.

Draco took the raven-haired women to be Shea Snape, the owner of the Magical Muggle Artifact Store. Draco cringed at the thought of his old potions master getting married. As a muggle loving Slytherin (nice combination, eh?), Shea looked to be a formidable women; for her tiny size, her movements were fluid and powerful, and her eyes were quick and piercing. Something told Draco that she would be difficult to fool, so he abandoned the idea of using the Polyjuice Potion he brought with him.

Her short and small house elf looked a better bet. He waited patiently for his chance.

When lunch time came, the trickle of well-heeled customers entering the artifact store swelled a little. Shea fawned and scraped; at her command the elf scampered to and fro about the shop, gathering boxes, capes, 'umbrellas', and any other item that was required. A few sales were made, then the lunch hour drew to a close and the customers departed. Now Shea's thoughts turned to her belly. She gave the elf a few instructions, put on a thick black overcoat, and left her shop. Draco watched her hail a cab and be driven off into the traffic. Behind her, the elf had put up a CLOSED sign on the door and had retired to the stool beside the counter, where, in mimicry of Shea, he puffed himself out importantly. Now was his chance. Draco changed his look with a simple transferring spell. His hair turned a deep brown and he shrunk a few inches. Instead of the powerful wizard he was, a humble messenger came knocking on the shop's door.

The elf looked up in surprise, gave him a glare and signaled for him to be gone. Draco knocked again, only louder. With a cry of exasperation, the elf hopped off the stool, trotted across to the door, and opened it with a crack. The shop bell tinkled.

"We're closed."

"Message here for Mrs. Snape."

"She's out. Come back later."

"It can't wait. Urgent. When's she due back?"

"In an hour or so. The master has gone to lunch."

"Where's she gone?"

"She didn't bother me with that information."

This elf had a haughty, superior sort of manner; he evidently considered himself too good to talk to messengers such as Draco.

"Don't matter. I'll wait." And with an effortless push, Draco entered the shop.

"Nice place, huh?" he said with a smirk.

The elf hurried after Draco in a panic.

"Get out! Get out! Mrs. Snape has given me strict orders not to allow anyone-"

"Don't get so excited, mate. I won't nick anything." He said rolling his eyes. The elf positioned himself between Draco and the nearest rack of silver time turners. "I should think not! With a stamp of my foot I can call up enough dementors to devour any thief or intruder! Now please leave!"

"All right, all right." Draco's shoulders slumped as he turned for the door. "You're too powerful for me. And too highly favored. It's not everyone gets a nice place like this." He said smirking.

"You're right there." Draco noticed that the elf was tricky, but also vain and weak.

"Bet you don't get any beatings neither."

"I certainly do not! The master gave me this sweater months ago! I am a model of efficiency and the master is very gracious to me."

Draco knew then immediately what sort he was dealing with.

"Well!" he said. "I should think she is gracious and all. Why? Cause she knows how lucky she is to have your help. Bet she can't do without you. I bet you're good at lugging heavy stuff around. And you can reach high shelves and sweep the floor-"

The elf drew himself up. "You bloody fool! The master values me for a greater deal more than that! I'll have you know that she refers to me as her assistant! I mind the shop for her while she takes her lunch. I keep the accounts, I help research the items that are offered, I have many contacts-"

"Hold on…the items?" Draco gave a low, sarcastic whistle. "You mean to tell me she lets you handle the merchandise – all her magical stuff, rings and the like? Never!" At this the elf simpered. "She does indeed! Mrs. Snape trusts me completely."

"No kidding? Here, listen, I'll tell you something I've heard of. The Ring of Oliver Wood. My master's mentioned that a few times. Bet you never cleaned that."

But this casual comment had struck some sort of nerve. The elf's eyes narrowed. "Who is your master then?" he said abruptly. "And where's your message? I don't see you carrying one."

"Of course you don't. It's all up here." Draco tapped his head with his finger. "As for my master, there isn't any secret about that. Hailey Wood's the name. Perhaps you've seen her about."

This was a bit of a gamble, bringing her into this. But the elf's manner had changed at the mention of the ring. Fortunately, he seemed impressed.

"Oh, it's Ms. Wood, is it? You're a new one for her, aren't you? Where's Bobo?"

"He lost a message last night. The master stripped him permanently."

"Did he? Always thought that Bobo was too frivolous. Serves him right."

This pleasant thought seemed to relax the elf; a dreamy look came into his eye. "Real lady, young Ms. Wood is, a perfect guest. Always dresses nice, asks for things politely. Good friend of Mrs. Snapes daughter, of course. Not surprising she was on about the ring. Considering what happened to it. Nasty business…and they've still not found the murderer, six months on."

This caught Draco's attention, but he didn't show it. He knew Hailey's father had died, but didn't know he was murdered.

"Yeah, Ms. Wood said something bad had happened. Didn't say what though."

"Well, she wouldn't to a speck like you. Some people figured it was the Dark Lord that did it. You'd think with all the resources the ministry's got-"

"So it got nicked, didn't it?"

"It got stolen, yes. But the ring was far too valuable to be presented on the open market. It's been the ministry's property for years, and for the last 25 of them it was kept under the guard at Mr. Wood's estate in Surrey. High security. Mr. Wood was a fine man – tough on the field but fair, very admirable…"

"Indeed." Draco said remembering the many times Wood had bailed him out of tough situations in the past. "So, somebody stole the ring from Wood?"

"Yes, six months ago. No alarms were triggered, the guards were none the wiser, but late one evening it was gone. Vanished! And there was poor Mr. Wood, lying beside its empty case in a pool of blood. He must have been in the room with the ring at the time the thieves entered, and before he could summon help they'd cut his throat. Terrible!"

"A most terrible thing." Draco looked mournful, but hidden inside he was yelling with triumph. Not only did he have an idea of where the ring was, but Haileys past attitude was clear now. But one thing was still unclear. Why would this wizard who stole the ring risk the wrath of the ministry? Draco knew the ring by reputation – but not its exact power. (Voldemort hadn't cared to share that little detail). _'Hopefully this idiot can help.'_ He thought to himself. "That ring must be quite something," Draco said. "Useful piece, is it?"

"So my master informs me. It is said to contain the most powerful magic – something from the deepest areas of olde black magic. It protects the wearer against attack by-"

The elf's eyes strayed behind Draco and he broke off with a sudden gasp. A shadow enveloped him, extending past his head and out across the polished floor. The tinkling bell sounded as the door opened, briefly allowing the sound of traffic into the shop's comfortable hush. Draco turned around slowly.

"Well, well, Foter," Shea Snape said, as she pushed the door with her long arm. "Entertaining a friend while I'm out, are we?"

"N-n-no, master, not at all." The pitiful elf was bowing so low, his head almost touched the ground. Draco stayed where he was, leaning against the wall.

"Not a friend?" A smile played on her lips, but the eyes above were cold and hard. Close up she was taller than Draco expected.

Foter had edged away against the front of the counter.

"No, master. H-he is a messenger for you. H-h-he brings a message."

"Really Foter! A messenger with a message! Extraordinary. So why didn't you take the message and send him on his way?" I left you plenty of work to do."

"You did, master, you did. He has only just arrived!"

"Even more fascinating by the second! When our neighbor shop has been watching you both chattering away like children for the last ten minutes!" Shea took her coat and flung it at Foter. He flinched but caught it and made no answer.

"Well then, your message boy. Where is it?"

Draco stared at her carefully, searching his thoughts for an answer. "I entrusted it to my memory, ma'am. My master considered it too important to be written on paper."

"Is that so?" Shea's cold eyes looked Draco up and down. "And your master is…"

"Hailey Wood, ma'am!" Draco gave a smart smirk and stood to attention. He was amazed at how well he could play this off.

"And if you let me, ma'am, I'll give my message and be on my way. I do not wish to take up anymore of your time."

"Quite so." Shea Snape leaned in close and fixed her eyes with Draco's. "Your message – please proceed."

"Simply this, ma'am. 'Dear Ms. Snape, I regret to tell you that I cannot make it on behalf of my father tonight. I feel it is too soon for me to be involved. Please respond with advice A.S.A.P. All the best, Hailey.' Word for word, ma'am."

To Draco this sounded well enough. He didn't want to push his luck. He bowed and set off for the door.

"Too soon, eh? Poor Hailey. Mmm." Shea considered a moment. "Before you go, what is your name, boy?"

"Erm – Arthur, ma'am."

"Arthur? Mmm." Shea Snape rubbed her chin lightly with her jeweled finger. "You're obviously anxious to get back to your master, Arthur, but before you go I have two questions."

Reluctantly, Draco drew to a halt.

"Oh – yes, ma'am."

"What a polite boy you are, to be sure. Well, first – why would Hailey not write down such a harmless note? It is hardly suspicious and might well become intertwined in the memory of a lesser messenger such as yourself."

"I have a very fine memory, ma'am. Renowned for it."

"Even so, it is out of character…No matter. My other question…" And here Shea moved a step closer and sort of lingered. "My other question is this: why did Hailey not ask my advice in person 15 minutes ago, when I met her and my daughter for lunch?"

 _'Ouch.'_ Time to leave.

Draco made a leap for the exit, but as quick as he was, Shea Snape was quicker. She pulled her wand out and a yellow ray of light shot from the end and collided with the door, sending out a blue light that froze instantly against anything it touched. Draco quickly somersaulted over them and landed on top of a display stand full of quidditch undergarments. Her wand let out another beam; before it hit, Draco was already in mid air, leaping over Shea's head and landing hard on top of her counter, scattering papers in every direction. He spun around and fired off a stupefy – it collided directly with Shea's chest, propelling her backwards into a bookshelf. She covered her head as books fell to the floor. She lay in a heap of mess, catching her breath. Draco set off for the nearest window, intending to bust his way out into the street. He had forgotten Foter. Stepping smartly from behind a rack of cloaks, he swung a giant staff smashed into the glass front of the counter. Foter drew back to repeat the blow; Draco leaped at him, wrestled the staff from his claws and gave him a smack. He groaned and Draco proceeded on his way.

Between two mannequins, he spied an open stretch of window, made of clear, curved glass that reflected the incoming sunlight into gentle rainbow colors. He fired a spell at it, sending a cloud of shattered glass shards flying out into the street, and dived for the hole.

Too late. As the window broke, a trap was triggered.

The mannequins turned around.

They were made of dark polished wood. They were modeling the latest quidditch fashions. As he leaped between them, their arms shot out to bar the way. From each hand extended long razors for fingers. Draco was going too fast to stop but he was still holding the staff. The razors swung toward him in two synchronized arcs. He raised the staff in front of his face just in time: the blades sank deep into it, almost cutting right through and jerking Draco to a sudden painful halt.

For a moment he felt the razor against his skin. He let go of the staff and fell to the floor. The mannequins shook their blades; his staff fell to the floor in two halves in front of him. They bent their knees and sprang – Draco back-flipped over the counter. The silver blades bit into the flooring where he had just been.

Draco could feel himself losing strength. He had to get out. He turned to the mannequin creeping along the counter.

"Incendio!"

A burst of yellow fire erupted from the mannequins chest. The mannequin ignored this and raised its blade again. Draco edged back. The mannequin bent its legs, ready to spring. Fire was licking across the torso.

It jumped high into the air and looped down on Draco, the flames dancing behind it like a cape. He jumped to the side at the last moment. It hit the ground heavily. There was a painful crack: the weakened burning wood had splintered in the impact. The mannequin gave a lopsided stride toward Draco, its body swaying at a grotesque angle – then its leg gave way. It collapsed into a fiery mess. He was about to do the same to its companion, which had hopped over the bonfire and was fast approaching, when a slight sound behind him alerted him to the partial recovery of Shea Snape. He glanced back. Shea was half sitting up, looking as if she'd been hit by a herd of buffalo.

But she was still dangerous. She groped for her wand, found it, and stabbed it in Draco's direction. The yellow ray of light shot out once more – but he was already gone from the spot, and the shots enveloped the second mannequin in mid bound. Its limbs helplessly frozen, it crashed to the floor, shattering a leg into a dozen pieces.

Shea cursed and looked around wildly. She really didn't have to look far for Draco. He was right above her, balanced on the top of a free-standing set of shelves. The whole stack was filled with index files and beautiful arrays of shields and potions that had no doubt been stolen from their proper owners across the world. He leaned his back against the wall, set his feet firmly on the shelf top and pushed hard.

The set of shelves groaned and teetered. Shea heard the sound. She looked up and her eyes widened in horror.

Draco gave an extra-hard push, putting a bit of venom into it.

The shelves hung suspended for an instant. A small vile was the first to fall, closely followed by a teak chest. Then the center of gravity shifted, the shelves shuddered, and the whole thing toppled down with swiftlessness upon the sprawling Snape.

At the sound of impact cars on the street swerved and collided. Draco eyed the shelf cautiously, but nothing stirred beneath it.

Once more, he made for the hole in the window and once more, a figure rose to block his way.

Foter.

Draco froze. "Please," he said, "don't waste my time."

Foter didn't move and gave a nasal whisper. "You've hurt the master."

"Brilliant sense of observation." He sneered. "If I were you I'd start sweeping the floor."

"It took me weeks to set up that display."

Draco lost patience. "Move you pathetic git!"

"It's too late, Arthur! I've sounded the alarm. The ministry has sent a de-"

"Yeah, yeah." Gathering his strength, the brown hair turned blondish white and he grew to his full height. Foter didn't expect to see a Malfoy. He stumbled back as Draco jumped out the window and onto the sidewalk.

As soon as he touched the ground, a net of silver threads descended, dragging him down against the pavement.

After a few seconds of trying to grab his fallen wand, he gave up. Draco looked beyond the lattice of threads to the pavement, which was still wet after the last rain and thinly covered with glass shard. He could hear Foter laughing in the background.

Draco's thoughts were pulled away as the dementors circled around him.


	5. In Azkaban

**Author's Note:** We're moving along! I should be posting updates on this faster, but it slips my mind. Send me comments to remind me if you're anxiously waiting, as I have up to Chapter 14 done! :O  
Also, there are talking dementors in this chapter. So yeah, that's a thing.

* * *

The darkness cloaking Draco's mind lifted. Instantly, he was as alert as ever, crystal-sharp in all his senses, a coiled spring ready to explode into action. It was time to escape!

Except it wasn't.

Draco didn't need to think twice, he was in big trouble. One thing he could do though was look around.

He was lying on top of a small stone pillar, which rose about two feet high from the middle of a cobble stoned floor. There were thin, white, crisscrossing lines of force that expanded out over his head. He didn't need to touch the lines to know that if he did it would cause him unbearable pain.

There were no doors in the walls, except one straight in front of him, which was being guarded by two dementors. He gave a light sigh, things didn't look too promising. But, he wasn't beaten yet. By the scale of the prison he knew he was in Azkaban.

"Hello there."

The dementor hissed like a serpent, showing his sharp teeth. He approached slowly and came close.

"Speak out again and I'll suck the life out of you." the dementor said in a raspy, hollow voice.

"Point taken."

At that moment, the door opened and two figures emerged, slowly gathering color as they tread their way in. One of them was Shea Snape. She was wobbling nicely, as if every muscle pained her. There were bruises and tiny cuts along her face.

Draco allowed himself a tiny smile. The man next to her was someone Draco could never forget.

Severus Snape.

"Woken up, have you?" Severus said. "Good. Then perhaps you can help us. Where is the ring of Oliver Wood?"

Draco looked shocked, but shrugged and said nothing.

"We want to know your purpose of going into Shea's shop."

Draco brushed his hair out of his eye and smoothed it back. His gaze wandered around the room in a bored way.

Snape did not become angry or impatient; his tone remained level.

"Are you going to be sensible, Malfoy?" he said. "You can tell us straight away or later on. It is entirely up to you. Shea here does not think you're going to be sensible and has come to see your pain."

Draco gave Shea a wink. "Go on," he prompted her (with rather more cheer than he felt), "give me a wink back. Its good exercise for a bruised eye." Shea bared her teeth, but did not speak.

Severus made a motion and stepped forward. "You are not in a position to be impudent, Draco. Let me clarify the situation for you. This is Azkaban, where all enemies of the government are brought for punishment. This chamber is protected by three layers of hexes. You are in a Mournful Orb. It will tear you apart if you touch it."

Draco couldn't help glancing across at the neighboring pillar, with its densely packed orb. Something had been inside that orb and its remains were still in there. The orb had shrunk until it had run out of room.

Severus had followed his gaze. "Exactly," he said. "Need I say more?"

"If I do talk," he said, addressing Severus for the first time, "what happens to me then? What's to stop you from ripping me apart anyway?"

"If you cooperate we will let you go," he said. "We have no interest in killing you." He sounded so brutally forthright Draco almost believed him. But not quite.

Before he could react, Shea gave a wheezing cough to draw her husband's attention. She spoke with difficulty, as if her ribs were hurting her. "The attack," she whispered. "The Resistance…"

"Ah, yes." Severus turned back to Draco. "You will be given even more chance of a reprieve if you can give us information about an incident that happened yesterday evening, after your capture-"

"Hold on," Draco said. "How long have you kept me knocked out?"

"For a little under twenty-four hours. We would have interrogated you last night, but as I say, this incident…We didn't get round to removing the silver net until about thirty minutes ago. I am impressed at your speed of recovery."

"Don't mention it. So, this incident…Tell me what happened."

"It was an attack by rebels. They're young, that much we know. Powerful, well beyond their years."

"What sort of attack was it?"

"They broke into the ministry's files. Took some, destroyed others."

Didn't quite sound like Voldemort's cup of tea. Draco's thoughts were rudely disrupted by a loud snare from Shea.

"Enough of this! He will not tell you on his own free will. Reduce the orb, dear Severus, so that he squirms and speaks! We are both far too busy to loiter in this cell all day."

Snape smiled slightly for the first time.

"Draco has been trained for years not to speak when in pain. Haven't you?" Draco said nothing but glared at Snape.

"Shea is impatient, Malfoy," he said. "She does not care if you speak or not, as long as the orb is used. But I prefer to follow the proper procedure. I have told you what we require – now it is time for you to talk."

A pause followed. It was a leaden, dreary, and desolate kind of pause, during which Draco tried to reconcile himself to the pain that would be forthcoming. So he smirked, rubbed his chin and waited for the inevitable to begin.

Shea grunted and looked at Snape. He tapped his watch.

"Time's up," he said. "Well?"

Draco scratched his head and sighed. Snape shook his head and waved his wand. The orb hummed and shrunk a little.

"The orb will continue to shrink. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. You will be observed continuously, so if at anytime you wish to speak, you need only to say so. Otherwise, farewell."

Shea and Snape turned and walked out the door. The dementors resumed their guarding.

Over the next few hours, Draco's situation grew ever less comfortable. Now he was reduced to sitting with his knees pressed up against his chest. Try as he might, he couldn't think of escape.

"Hey, do you hear that?" the dementor said to its partner.

The other cocked its head to one side. Within the orb, Draco listened too. A gentle tapping sound…so low, so subtle, it was impossible to tell from which direction it came.

"That's nothing. Just workmen outside. Or muggles marching again. They like doing that. Now, shut up."

"It's not workmen. It's too near. Leave Malfoy alone and come and listen. I want to pinpoint it."

With a glare to Draco, the dementor hovered away. The two ranged around the perimeter of the room, holding their 'ears' close to the stones. All the while the little tapping noise continued, soft, irregular, and maddeningly unlocatable.

"Can't place it." One said. "Could come from anywhere. Hold on..! Maybe he's doing it…" It looked evilly in Draco's direction.

"Not guilty, your honor." he said.

"Don't be stupid. The orb stops him using magic beyond its barrier. Something else is going on. I think we should raise the alarm."

"But nothings happened."

"I think you should definitely call for help," Draco advised. "It's almost certainly something you can't handle. A beetle maybe. Or a disoriented woodpecker."

The second dementor blew a fuse. "That's it, Malfoy! You die!" he paused. "Mind you, it might be a beetle, come to think of it…"

"In a solid stone building?" The first dementor sneered. "I think not."

An argument broke out. All the while the tap, tap, tapping went on. Draco had long since located the source of it. He kept a constant eye on the area, and was rewarded, after several minutes, by spying a discreet shower of stone-dust come trickling out between two blocks. A moment later, a tiny hole appeared; this was rapidly enlarged as more dust and flakes dropped from it, propelled by something small, sharp and white. The dementors continued arguing. Behind them, the tapping suddenly ceased, and from the hole, a brownish head poked out. This was followed by the large shoulders and arms. It's eyes flicked to and fro, taking in the scene, then silently, it flipped and landed on the ground.

"Uhm, look behind you?" Draco coughed.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" The dementor jerked his arm forward. A flash of orange-brown shot across its path, seized the spear in its mouth and spun, wrenching it out of the dementors hand. The dementor gave a yelp of astonishment and turned. Its partner did the same.

A small orangutan sat on a vacant column, holding the spear neatly in its mouth. Uncertainly, the dementor stepped toward it.

With deliberate care, the monkey bit down on the steel spear. It snapped in two; both halves fell to the ground.

The dementor stopped dead.

Just then, a hazel-brown dog jumped down and came to rest on a neighboring pillar. Both sat silently, watching the dementors with unblinking eyes.

"Er…?"

"Raise the alarm. I'll deal with them."

The dementor leaped high into the air. It flew up to the ceiling, then it spun and dived, head first, arms outstretched; hurtling down at lightning speed toward the monkey, who was calmly waiting.

A look of doubt came into the dementors eyes. It was now almost upon the monkey, and still it hadn't moved. Doubt was replaced by sudden fear. It jerked itself back, desperately; it tried to stop, to avoid colliding.

The monkey opened its mouth wide.

The dementor let out a piercing scream. There was a blur of movement, a snap and a gulp.

The second dementor made for the wall where the alarm would appear. The dog lazily hopped from one pillar to another, cutting the dementor off. With a cry of woe, the dementor hurled its spear. It missed the dog, embedding itself into the hilt in the side of the pillar. The dog shook its head sorrowfully as the monkey jumped in front of it. The dementor blew a whistle, but it was cut off by another blur, a whirlwind too swift to follow. The monkey landed awkwardly on the ground, its belly growing and shrinking.

"Well done!" Draco called. He was now standing. "I don't know who you are, but could you get me…"

His voice trailed away. The dog had changed shape on the pillar. Draco could hardly see the figure but he immediately knew who it was.

Trapped in the orb, he rubbed his head.

"Oh," he said. "Hello."

"Hello, Draco." Hailey said.


	6. Old Connections

**Author's Note:** Yay for remembering to post! I added this without a note but decided it looked too weird. Enjoy!

"And Sam, too," Draco added. "How nice of you both to come."  
"We thought you might be feeling lonely, Draco." Sam said.  
"No, no, I've had plenty of attention."  
"So I see." Hailey walked forward to inspect his orb.  
"Oh dear, you are in a tight spot."

Draco chuckled unconvincingly. "Wits aside, Hail, perhaps you could see your way of helping me out of here."  
"A difficult problem." Hailey said.  
" _I_ have a solution." Sam said.

"Good!"  
"You could tell us where you have hidden her father's ring. If you speak quickly, we might have time to destroy the orb before you die."  
"Reverse that sequence and you'll have a deal."  
Sam sighed heavily. "I don't think you're in a position to-" She broke off at the sound of a distant wailing noise.  
"Sam," Hailey said. "The alarm."

Sam frowned and leaned in close to Draco.  
"Listen, you can't escape this place without us. So no tricks. I had two orders coming in here. To find the ring or destroy you. The other was that girl over there," she said pointing to Hailey. "Now I will have no guilt in killing you if you try and leave us to this alone. I won't have to tell you what an honor that would be."

At that the doors opened and guard upon guard marched in. Sam turned and sent out her monkey patronus. Hailey, meanwhile, had not been idle. With her wand, she made a ring of iron. Draco viewed the ring wearily.  
"And what do you expect me to do with that?" he asked.  
"Leap through it, of course. You're good at jumping aren't you?"

Hailey held the ring so that it made contact with the surface of the orb, and it slowly began eating away at the ring.  
"This won't last forever so I suggest you jump fast." She said.  
Draco kneeled as far as he could and quickly jumped through, tumbling to the ground.  
"Fantastic." Hailey said throwing the remains of the ring to the floor. "Let's go."

Sam was steadily retreating as more dementors filed into the room. Hailey took out her wand and blasted the hole that was made earlier so that it was wider.  
"Come on, you go first."  
Draco nodded and went towards the hole, but was grabbed by his arm and jerked towards Hailey.

"No tricks. I don't want to have to chase you down."  
Draco eyed the floor and nodded slowly.  
"Sam!" Hailey yelled when she let go of his arm. "We're leaving!"  
"I'll catch up!" Sam yelled, struggling with four dementors.  
Hailey jumped up and into the hole after Draco.

In the narrow, pitch-black tunnel, Draco's voice sounded muffled and strange.  
"So, uh, how have you been?"  
"Brilliant question, Draco." Hailey replied.  
"Okay, okay. What have you been doing?"  
"Looking for my fathers ring."  
"Well, if that's why you're busting me out you're going to be slightly disappointed."  
"Shut up, Malfoy. I know you don't have it." Hailey snapped.  
"Oh." Draco replied. "Well then, why are you doing this?"  
"Let's just say it'll be good use for guilt when I need your help."  
"…right."

There was a bit of silence as they crawled. A few more minutes of scrabbling in the tunnel ahead, then a sudden burst of light. Without pause, Draco pushed and pulled himself out from the hole and looked out at the barrier around him. He looked back to Hailey as she was pulling herself out. He grabbed her by the arm and helped her up.  
"Thanks." She said breathlessly.

He nodded. "Now what?"  
She brushed her hair back from her eyes and pointed towards a wall.  
"There."  
"That's a wall."  
"Very good." Hailey replied.  
She grabbed his wrist and started running towards it.

"Wait…Hail, wait. Wait!"  
But Hailey didn't stop and before he knew it, Draco was in a dark alley way.  
"Where are we?" he whispered.  
"Just outside Surrey. We have to be careful. They have people looking for blonde-haired smart mouths."

Draco looked at her and smirked.  
"Oh haha. Still picking on me as always?"  
"You used to like the challenge." She said peering around the corner of a building. Draco only smirked and rested himself on the wall.  
"Still do."

Hailey replied by pulling him out onto the sidewalk. "Act casual. We don't want to attract attention."  
"Okay." He said as he laced his hand with hers.  
"What are you doing?" she said through clenched teeth.

"Why would a handsome guy like me be walking with such a gorgeous girl like you and not be holding her hand?"  
"Bullocks. Why are you doing this?" Hailey asked, never taking her eyesight off the view in front of her.  
"Because everyone deserves a second chance. Even a messed up Malfoy."  
"You had that chance a year ago. You passed it along remember?"  
"I know what I did, but it's not like I wanted to leave."

"Oh, just cram it you prat. This is the exact same thing you pulled with the Hermione situation, you realize. Why don't you stay with her?"  
Draco looked at the ground.  
"She doesn't want me."  
Hailey looked at Draco shocked. "Oh."

Unlocking the door to the Wood household, Hailey stepped through and ushered Draco inside. Draco looked around and whistled.  
"Nice place here, Wood. What'd you steal?" he asked raising his eyebrows.

"Bite one, Malfoy." She sneered.  
He smirked and crossed his arms across his chest. "Now that's not very polite. I'm a guest."  
"You're a fugitive at this exact moment." She said hanging her things up.  
He frowned and watched her move around her home, looking into the living room and searching around for any signs of life.

"Okay, come on then." She said making her way up the stairs. He followed her up and into a green room. There were clothes scattered everywhere and make-up lingering on a plain wooden dresser next to a mirror hanging on the wall. "Nice room." He said sitting himself on her big, plushy bed.

"Suits me well enough." Hailey replied as she flung her sweatshirt to the floor, left to mold in with the rest of her clothes. Draco watched as she went to the mirror and threw her hair in a messy bun. She then spoke to the mirror.

"Sam!" she called to it.  
"Uhm, Hailey. That's a mirror."  
"Draco will you shut that mouth of yours for five minutes?!" she yelled.  
Draco shut his mouth and watched amazed as a blurry image of Sam slowly but surely came into view.

"What's up?" Sam asked breathlessly.  
"Where are you?"  
"I just got out of that blasted tunnel. I'm going to head home before those dim-witted dementors stop shrieking at my patronus."  
"Okay. Send Artimus home when you can."  
"Can do." Sam replied and the image faded out.

"So," Hailey began as she joined Draco on the bed. "Tell me about Hermione."  
Draco looked away and shook his head.  
"I don't want to talk about it."  
"You'll tell me eventually."  
"What makes you so sure?"  
"When have I ever lied to you, huh? I'll figure it out."  
"You lied to me about you father."  
Hailey froze.

"Don't Malfoy."  
"Why didn't you just tell me?"  
"Why won't you tell me about Hermione?" she argued.  
"I – erm…just isn't anything to tell."

Hailey moved closer and whispered in Draco's ear. He shivered as her breath softly touched his skin.  
"You know I don't like lies. Unless they're in moderation, that is."  
Draco smirked and before Hailey could react, he placed his lips on her neck.  
"Don't play with me, Malfoy." Hailey said. Draco laughed softly as Hailey finally surrendered.  
"Don't worry, I won't. Never again." He whispered.  
"You better not." She murmured, leaning into his lips.  
He pulled her to the side of him, quieting any contradiction by kissing her lips fully. He lifted her shirt a little and began tracing tiny circles on the side of her stomach. She sighed and snuggled into his chest. He smiled and pulled her closer, enjoying the feeling on her body pushed in close to his.  
"I'm sorry…you know, about before. I never meant to hurt you."

Hailey hesitated. "It's alright."  
"I know what I've done in the past can't be explained or forgiven. But…will you still be mine?"  
She glanced up and looked into those stormy blue eyes, looking for any sign of doubt. When she didn't find any, she smiled a little and laid her head back down.  
"Of course."

He smiled and lifted her chin up and pulled her into a passionate kiss. His mind was a whirlwind of rushing thoughts. He knew that things would never be the exact same with her. But if Hermione didn't want him, nothing was stopping him from being with Hailey. And nothing was going to stop him from sharing this night with her. Hailey fought with her emotions but couldn't help herself from falling into the death trap that was Draco. He pulled her shirt off over her head and took his own jacket off and threw them to the floor. He trailed down her neck to her chest with kisses and ran his hands up and down the side of her ribs. They both proceeded in taking off their clothing piece by piece until they were in nothing but their under clothing. He smirked at her and slowly worked his hand down. When she shifted, he stopped and looked up at her.  
"Is this what you want?"  
Hailey nodded and pushed his hand in indication to proceed. Draco smirked but hesitated with himself.  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
"Nothing. I'm just a little…scared, I suppose."  
Hailey smiled and rested a hand on his cheek.  
"I never would have guessed that you would admit to being scared."

Draco closed his eyes tiredly as she kissed his nose.  
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."  
Draco laid his head briefly on her chest, his eyes closed, as he listened to her heartbeat.  
"Do you mind if I just hold you for a minute?"  
"Of course not."  
He smiled; his eyes still closed, and eventually pushed her slowly so that she was lying on her back on the bed. Working his way softly down her body; he pulled her panties to the side, kissing his way down her bare skin as he did so. She moved readily against him, and sighed. Her eyes were closed, and he pulled himself back up to kiss her neck.

* * *

Hailey woke up the next morning with Artimus lightly tapping on the window. Slowly rolling out of bed, she made her way to the window. She undid the latch and opened the double doors. Artimus hooted and hopped over the window pane and onto the small table in front of the window. He nipped at Hailey's arm and hooted again.

"Alright, alright." She whispered to him. Closing the windows and locking the hatch again, she opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a small paper bag. She reached in and pulled out a small treat and held it in front of Artimus.  
"Here you go." She said smiling. Artimus took the treat and ate it quickly before hooting and flying over to his open stand. Hailey smiled and put the bag back into the drawer. She looked herself over in her mirror and saw slight movement in the background. Looking over to her bed, she saw Draco adjust himself in his sleep. She sighed, thinking about the night before and restlessly paced about her room.

 _'What am I going to do? He says he wants to be with me again but I don't know if I can trust him.'_ She sighed again as she thought about the newspaper articles that were going to be out that day. She quickly changed into black pants and a gray t-shirt with pink, blue, and yellow writing all over it. Quickly curling the tips of her hair, she grabbed a bag and quietly made her way out the door.

She took a deep breath when she made it into the hallway. Climbing down the stairs, she noticed that most of the people that worked in her house were already up and doing their daily shores. She almost ran into one of the tiny house elves that were running around.  
"Oh! Dingbang is sorry, missus. Dingbang will go punish himself now."  
"No. No! Dingbang! It's quite alright." She said stopping him from banging his head into the wall. "It was my fault…uhm, is Trace home?"  
"Master Trace is not home. Left early this morning. Don't know where though."  
Hailey nodded and let him go. "Alright. Finish your chores before he gets home then." She said smiling slightly.  
"Yes, ma'am."  
"Oh, and Dingbang? I have a guest sleeping upstairs in my room. Bring him some food but please make sure he does not leave the third floor until I get home. Understand?"

Dingbang bowed until his head almost touched the floor. "I understand completely, ma'am."  
Hailey nodded in approval and was soon walking out the door and onto the street.


	7. Lost City

Hailey walked down the lonely streets of London, waiting for the moment when she would be out of sight from any wandering eyes. When she finally turned a corner, she took out her wand and apparated herself to Balham. She found herself in front of a large worn down building with an array of bombs and missiles soaring through the sky. Hailey ran inside and closed the large, heavy door with a slam.

"Halt! State your presence!" a large voice boomed.

She sighed and took out a folded book with a gold badge in it. "Hailey James Wood. Head commander number 003." She said lazily. She flipped the book back up and walked through the two doors that were slowly opening.

"Hailey! Glad you could make it!" The minister said smiling.

"Like I had a choice." She retorted. "What can I do for you?"

"I need you to go guard the gates with these three. With the bombs coming down this heavy, we're sure to have a battle."

Hailey sighed as she looked at the three shaking wizards. "Let me guess, eventually, at some point, we're going to need to get the Emperor out of here."

The minister nodded and turned away.

"You do learn quickly."

Carefully, Hailey scanned the horizon from a tall watchtower. It didn't make for happy viewing. The mass of Voldemort's army was cloaked behind protection spells, and its ripple of power already lapped at the base of the hill. Groups of soldiers moved purposefully over the dark ground. Sighing, Hailey turned her gaze to the darkened sky. It was an angry black mess of clouds, smeared with streaks of yellow to the west. At a high altitude and scarcely visible in the dying light, she spied six faint dots circling well out of harmful spells range. They mapped out the walls a final time, checking the strength of our defenses.

"Pardon, miss?"

"What?" Hailey asked quickly.

"Please, Ms. Wood, ma'am," some tiny wizard said, "what's the good of watching? Those death eaters are everywhere – sky and land. And we've heard they've got a whole cohort of dementors down there. Is that true?"

Hailey looked away towards the horizon, her eyes narrow. "Maybe."

The wizard gave a moan. "But we ain't got a single one, have we? And I've heard the leader's just as nasty as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Is that true?"

Hailey's hair ruffled gently in the breeze. "Maybe."

"Ohh, but that's just dreadful, ain't it? We have no hope. They'll attack tonight. We'll all be dead by morning."

Hailey groaned. He wasn't going to do their confidence much good with that kind of talk. She put a hand on the wizards' shoulder. "Listen kid…what's your name?"

"Nathan, ma'am."

"Nathan. Well, don't believe everything you hear, Nathan. Voldemort's army is strong, yeah. In fact, I've never seen stronger. But let's say it does have dementors, hundreds of giants, and death eaters. Let's say they're going to all come pouring at us tonight, right here at the gate. Let them come. We've got tricks to send them packing." She shrugged.

"Such as what, ma'am?"

"Tricks that'll blow those buggers right out of the air. Tricks we've all learned in the heat of a dozen battles. The tricks that all sum up to one word: survival."

The wizards eyes blinked at her. "This is my first battle, ma'am."

Hailey made an impatient gesture.

"Failing that, the Minister said he has people working on something or other. A last line of defense. Some hair-brained scheme, no doubt." She patted his shoulder in a reassuring way. "Feel better now, kid?"

"No ma'am. I feel worse."

Hailey sighed. "All right," she growled. "My advice is to duck fast and when possible run away. With luck, your generals will die before you do. Personally, that's what I'm banking on."

Suddenly, the attack came. She spun around to look out into the dark, and one by one, the three wizard's heads popped up above the battlements.

Out on the plains, the great army surged into action.

Dementors were soaring this way and that, dodging patronuses', while giants and centaurs knocked wizards and witches to the ground. All those and many other things came hurrying toward the gate. The young wizard tapped Hailey's elbow.

"Good job you had a word with us, ma'am," he said. "I'm overwhelmingly confident now, thanks to you."

She scarcely heard him. She was staring far off beyond the plains to the rocky frontier. A man was too far away for her to take in any details, but she could sense his power, it seemed to radiate off of him and knock down anything in its way.

Hailey looked down at the army nearing the gate, which caused the protection spells to go off, sending jets of blue – green fire erupting upward, incinerating leaders as they flew. But the fire died back, and the rest came on. This caused a hundred of witched and wizards to rise on the walls, uttering tiny cries and sending defense spells toward the flying horde.

Gripping her wand, she was ready to enter the fray. But in the next instant a looping bolt of energy arched through the sky and smashed into the tower, just below the battlements. Mortar and stone shattered as the roof of the tower gave way. Hailey was blown spinning into the air – and fell, almost to the ground, but collided heavily with a cart load of hay bales that had been drawn inside the gate instead. As she looked up, bodies fell from the sky, igniting roofs. The gate shook and she knew it would not last long.

She hastily picked herself up from the hay and quickly brushed her clothes off.

"When you've picked the last bit of straw from your shirt, Hailey," a voice said, "you're wanted up at the castle."

Hailey looked up. "Hello Sam."

Sam smiled and moved to the side gracefully. A pile of burning wood slammed into the cobblestones where she'd been, leaving a smoldering crater. "Bit busy." She remarked.

"Just a tick. The minister wants us?"

"We'd better hurry too, he's in a fit." Sam said nodding.

"Let's go then."

As Sam and Hailey made their way up to the castle, they could hear an ominous scream of rage.

"The Emperor's getting out, is he?" Hailey panted.

"He's more concerned about his beloved owls." Sam said. "Wants our elves to airlift them to safety." Her brown eyes flicked at Hailey in rueful amusement.

"But all the elves are dead."

"Exactly. Well, almost there."

They had arrived in the northern wing of the castle, where the Emperor's servants had their quarters. The taint of dark magic hung thick about the stones. Down a long flight of stairs Hailey and Sam ran, out along a balcony overlooking a rather dingy moat, and in through the arch that led to the Lower Workroom. It was a broad, circular room that took up almost the entire ground floor of the tower. There was absolute silence in the room. The minister was standing at a window, staring through a telescope into the dark sky. Noticing Hailey and Sam, he made a gesture for silence, then beckoned them into a side room. He scratched the back of his neck. "You don't need to tell me," he said. "I know. How long do we have?"

Sam picked at her nails. "I'd give us an hour, no more."

She looked back toward the main room, where silent wizards toiled. "You're bringing out the dark magic, I see," she said.

The minister nodded curtly. "It will cause great damage to the enemy."

"It won't be enough," Hailey said. "Even with all this. Have you seen the size of the army out there?"

"Wood, this is a diversion only. We plan to get His Highness away down the eastern steps. A portkey is waiting near the river. This magic will ring around the castle and cover our retreat."

Hailey stared at the wizards; they stood still, mouthing continuous silent charms to nothing imparticular.

"This army won't bother with these charms," Hailey said. "They'll go right through them. They're using the same ones."

The minister bared his teeth. "By then the Emperor will be gone. And that, incidentally, is my new mission for both of you – to guard His Highness during his escape. Understood?"

Sam held up a hand. The minister gave a heartfelt sigh. "Yes, Snape?"

"Well sir," she said, "if I might make a suggestion. Balham is surrounded. If we try to escape the city with the Emperor, we'll all die horribly. So why don't we just forget the old fool and apparate away instead?"

Hailey stifled a laugh as the minister snarled.

"Unlike you, I know the meaning of loyalty! You are both to guard his life with your own. Do you understand?"

They nodded reluctantly; as they did so, the floor shook with a nearby explosion.

"Come," he said. "We don't have much time."

Back up the stairs they went, and through the echoing corridors of the castle. Bright flashes illuminated the windows; fearsome cries echoed all around. They finally entered the Emperor's aviary, filled to the rim with hundreds of owls of different shapes and colors.

"Your Highness, please. The army is pouring up the hill. We must get you to safety - "

"I cannot leave my aviary! Where are my servants? Summon them here!"

"Sir, they are engaged in battle - "

The minister shouldered his way through.

"Sir: I present Hailey Wood and Samantha Snape, who will assist us in our departure, then save your birds as well."

"Two girls, man? Two girls?"

Hailey and Sam rolled their eyes.

"Your Highness, the eastern steps…"

Despite his protests, the Emperor was bundled away from the cages, toward a wicket gate. The minister and a guard were at the head of the group, the Emperor behind, his short frame hidden among the courtiers. Hailey and Sam brought up the rear.

A flash of light. Over a parapet behind them two black figures came leaping. Tattered cloaks whipped about them, yellow eyes burned in the depths of their cowls. Hailey looked at Sam. "Yours or mine?"

She smiled. "Mine." She fell back to meet the entourage of advancing death eaters.

Beyond the gate, a narrow path followed the moat north, under the castle wall. Down below, the small town was on fire; Voldemort's troops running through the streets, and people fleeing, fighting, falling before them. It all seemed so far away; the only sound that came to the group was a distant sighing.

The Emperor ceased his loud complaints. The group hurried in silence through the night. So far, so good.

Sam ran up beside Hailey, ashen-faced. She was wounded in the side. "Trouble?" Hailey asked.

"I'm fine."

Onward down the stairs in the side of the hill. Lights from the burning castle was reflected in the water, giving it a melancholy beauty. They met no one, no one pursued them, and soon the worst of the conflict was left behind.

As the river neared, Sam and Hailey gave each other hopeful looks. The city was lost, but escape here would allow them some small restoration of personal pride. It looked as if they would get away.

The ambush came when they were nearly at the bottom of the hill.

With a scuttle and a rush, six death eaters and a band of elves hopped out onto the steps below. The Emperor and his courtiers cried out and fell back in disarray. Sam and Hailey tensed, ready to spring.

A light cough behind them. As one, they turned.

A slim young man stood five steps above. He had flat black hair, big blue eyes, and wore simple wizard's clothes. He had a rather sappy, coy expression on his face, as if he couldn't hurt a fly. However, as an extra detail, he also carried a monstrous glowing scythe with a sliver blade.

"My compliments Ms. Wood," the young man said. "You have almost succeeded in making yourself and this little group scarce."

"You seem to underestimate me, wizard." Hailey said coldly.

The wizard batted his eyelashes with an ostentatious look of concern.

"Indeed? Well, please tell me that the great Hailey Wood remembers me."

"I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure."

"It hurts that you don't remember me, Wood."

Hailey sighed. "And you would be…?"

"Marcus Flint." He said puffing his chest out slightly.

"Ew." Sam whispered.

Hailey smirked as Flint's posture slumped.

"Figures you'd turn to Voldie for help with the ministry turned you down for that Auror job."

"Last chance, Wood! You can't win this one."

She shrugged in a resigned sort of way. "We'll see."

Sadly though, they did. Very quickly, too. Hailey's first spells were deflected by the twirling scythe. The fifth rebounded directly at her, sending her crashing off the path and down the hill. She tried to rise, but fell back in pain.

"Brilliant." She said to herself.

Up on the path, the elves were pouring onto the courtiers. Hailey saw Sam and a burly death eater spin past, hands at each others throats.

With insulting nonchalance, Marcus Flint ambled down the slope toward her. He winked and raised the silver scythe.

And at that moment, the minister acted.

The elves were all around him, vaulting over his head, ducking between his legs, reaching for the Emperor. He gave a cry of fury and from a pocket in his jacket produced his wand. He sent the killing curse, which bounced off Flint's scythe and flew back, sending him and others flying back. The minister died instantly. Flint brought the scythe blade down, exactly where Hailey's head had lain. It drove uselessly into the ground.

Being distracted had allowed Hailey to move out of the way quickly. She ran up the hill, shooting some stupefies off at elves and death eaters in her way. She grabbed Sam by her arm and quickly jumped onto the portkey, sending them away from the fall of Balham.


End file.
